The invention relates to a novel method and a device for filling and closing pharmaceutical objects, e.g. syringes, vials, cylindrical ampules or the like, which are disposed in parallel rows in nests.
Methods for filling and closing pharmaceutical objects are known in which the processing/treatment of the objects takes place primarily in the state in which the objects are located in nests. Nests as known in the art are substantially plate-shaped receiving devices that contain recesses in which the objects are accommodated in a form-fit manner. In the conventional methods, in which the objects remain in the nests during processing, is advantageous per se because the objects are present in the nests in a sorted and oriented manner and can be processed directly in this manner. In the processing stations, in which the objects are processed individually, e.g. weighing stations, each object is lifted out of the nest, even several times if necessary, and returned to the nest.
In one known method, the objects are first lifted out of the nest and than pass through processing stations such as a weighing station, a filling station and a weighing station and are then returned to the nest. In another known method, the objects are lifted out of the nest, are weighed in the weighing station, are returned to the nest, are filled in the filling station, are lifted out of the nest once more and weighed and are then returned to the nest. In the closing station, where stoppers are inserted, the objects are located in the nest. It is disadvantageous, however, that the objects are required to be repeatedly lifted out of the nests and replaced therein. Repeatedly lifting and returning objects to the nest results in correspondingly long processing times. The plurality of handling motions of the objects can result in damage to the product, for example, the objects can inadvertently touch one another.